


Just Desserts

by TwirlsWrites



Series: Force Myself to Write 2018 Edition [2]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Youtube Chef AU, idk - Freeform, incomplete fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 06:00:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14664768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwirlsWrites/pseuds/TwirlsWrites
Summary: Barry Allen and Hartley Rathaway both host cooking shows on youtube and have recently fallen into a feud. Taking notice of this, Food Network invites them to do a cook-off on the Food Network - a chance for a big break. When they get there, there’s a twist: Their pre-planned meals are switched and so are their sous chefs. Which means that Iris, Barry’s assistant/manager/publicist/sister will be working with Hartley and that Barry will be working with Hartley’s (unfairly attractive) tech guy, a chef named Cisco Ramon.Let the games begin!





	Just Desserts

 

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Barry muttered. Next to him Iris sighed.

“Come on Barry, it’ll be fun. It’s an incredible opportunity.”

“Fun? Sure! It’ll be super fun filming a cooking competition with the overly-inflated ego bag who called mea an overgrown gremlin!” Barry exclaimed.

“It’ll be fun when we kick his ass,” Iris replied easily. “Besides, this is going to be on the Food Network Barry, you’re going to be on the Food Network! You’re going to get to meet Alton Brown for crying out loud - your hero! Smile!”

“What if Alton Brown watches me get trounced by Hartley Rathaway?” Barry groaned.

“Barry, I can assure you as your publicist, your sous chef, and your sister that it will be fine,” Iris said. “Because image-wise, it doesn’t actually matter if you lose; but you won’t lose because you are an excellent chef and I am on your team and my team always wins.” Iris flicked up three fingers as she listed off the reasons and Barry realized that the blood-red color of her nails matched the blood-red color on her lips and he took a moment to be terrified.

“Right,” he said. “Screw Hartley, I can do this. Just another show.” The car came to a stop.

“Ready?” Joe asked from the front. Barry nodded.

“I’m ready.”

 

“So, Chef Allen, thank-you for joining us. This is one of the most highly anticipated cook-offs we’ve had on this show,” Alton Brown said. Barry smiled, grateful for all of the practice interviews Iris had had him do.

“Thanks Chef Brown, I’m excited to be here, that’s for sure,” he replied, hoping he looked casual enough.

“So, what can you tell me about your rivalry with Chef Rathaway?” Alton Brown asked, leaning forward with a conspiring grin.

“There’s really not much to tell,” Barry said. The crowd groaned and he laughed. “We’re both chefs on youtube, both of similar age, both probably to smart for our own good. A commenter suggested we do an episode together and that idea grew until we were invited here!”

 

_What actually happened is that Hartley had posted a video response to that suggestion by saying that Barry was not a real chef, certainly not worthy of being on Hartley’s show, along with a few digs that Barry’s family situation that hopefully only the Wests had picked up on._

_Barry had calmly - if satisfactorily viciously - posted a video where he did a redux of one of Hartley’s most viewed recipe videos ‘on the cheap’._

_And then Hartley and Barry (read: Iris, Barry had no clue how to work Twitter) had exchanged a barrage of barbed (but “totally good-natured”) tweets in which Iris issued a challenge to Hartley. It turned out that Bobby Flay followed Hartley on Twitter, saw the challenge, and proposed the idea of bringing them onto the show._

 

“And here you are,” Alton Brown said with a nod. Barry smiled and shrugged.

“And here I am,” he said. The crowd laughed, it seemed like they liked him.

“You were asked to prepare menus and choose a sous chef. Will avid watchers of your channel recognize some favorites?” Alton Brown asked, leaning back a little.

“For the menu? Possibly, some of my viewers who have been with me the longest,” Barry said. “But I like mixing things up, so there will be a few surprises.” At this he winked and instantly regretted it.

“And your right hand? You know, some people had some betting going on over who you would choose,” Alton Brown said.

“Really?” Barry couldn’t help but ask, laughing. “Did you win anything?”

“Alas, it would be against the rules for me to have bet,” Alton Brown replied with a wink. “Though I was sort of expecting Mr. Dibney to make an appearance.”

Ralph was actually terrified at the prospect of going on National Television. But regardless, Iris had always been Barry’s first choice.

“Oh, one thing I’ve learned over the years is to never bet against Iris,” Barry said. “She’s my oldest friend, my sister, and the single most competitive person I’ve ever met.”

“Most competitive?” Alton Brown clarified.

“Hands down.”

“Well, we look forward to seeing what your have for us, Chef Allen,” Alton Brown said, gong for the closing handshake. Barry scrambled to meet it, hoping that it hadn’t looked at frantic as he felt.

“Thank-you, Chef.”

 

“Good job kid, very good responses,” Alton Brown said once the camera man signaled them off.

“Really? Thanks Mr. Alton… Chef… thank-you,” Barry stuttered out. “Huge fan.”

“Everyone is,” Alton Brown said. “And I have to say, I’m a fan of yours as well.”

“Is it in your contract?” Barry asked, confused. Alton Brown laughed.

“No, Barry, I’m saying I am a fan of your work. I subscribe to your channel.”

“No way,” Barry said, staring. Alton Brown nodded.

“Really; we’re always looking for new talent, and you’ve got that in spades.”

“Thank,” Barry said faintly.

“Well I better go meet up with the judges. Good talk Kid,” Alton Brown said with a nod, walking off the sound stage.

“How did it go?” Iris whispered, rushing over. “Did you feel good with the questions?”

“Alton Brown believes in me,” Barry told her, feeling dazed. Iris sighed with a fond smile, patting him lightly on the back.

“Don’t go full nerd Barry, we start soon,” she said. He nodded.

“Wait - who is that?” he asked, motioning over to a man Joe was chatting with by the craft table. He had dark hair in a bun, square shoulders with nice arms to match, and a smile that made Barry think of mid Spring.

“I don’t know, but - no. Barry, focus. Don’t look at the cute boy, look at your notes - and go!” Iris said, showing notecards in his hands and pushing him in the opposite direction.

“Dude, I was just curious!” Barry protested.

 

“Alright Chefs,” Ted Allen said. Barry gulped, the lights were dramatic for no reason after all. That and Hartley looked perfectly put together in a monogrammed chef’s jacket in an elegant dark green while Iris had somehow let Barry out in his standard uniform of jeans and button-up plaid over a t-shirt.

He wondered it it’d be obvious if he rolled his sleeves back down. Probably. “You have come here prepared for the challenged, but are you prepared for - the Twist?” Ted Allen questioned. The crowd ooh’d and Barry managed a weak smile. There was always a twist. Sometimes they removed an item from the pantry; one time they put everything in purple UV lighting and Barry really hoped they wouldn’t do that this time. His eyes found Joe just offstage, who gave him a thumbs up.

“This show’s challenge is —“ Ted Allen started, drumroll building. “The Switch!”

What.

“That’s right folks, not a twist we pull very often here, but the judges felt it would be just perfect for these two,” Ted Allen’s announcer voice took over. “The chefs must switch - planned menus and sous chefs!”

Barry and Hartley actually took a moment to share stunned looks for a beat. The crowd seemed to notice this and laughed, Ted Allen picking it up too.

“Oh-ho that’s right. Chef Rathaway will be working with the woman who’s a sister to Chef Allen - the incredible Iris West who’s been in well over half of his webisodes!” The lights over the first station lit up and there was Iris. She waved at the audience, looking only a little pained.

“And Chef Allen will be working with the man behind the camera, Rathaway by Request’s very own Cisco Ramon!” the lights on the other station flipped on and Barry realized that the man Joe had been talking to earlier was his new sous chef.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> (This work is INCOMPLETE and I don't have plans to finish it any time soon)


End file.
